Research Theme: Response Mode

Specialties:

General Surgery (CT1, CT2, ST3)

Anaesthetics (CT1, CT2, CT3, ST4)

Otolaryngology (CT1, CT2, ST3)

Start Dates for higher specialty training:

General Surgery : 06 October 2027

Anaesthetics: 04 August 2027

Otolaryngology: 04 August 2027

Aligned with the rotational dates of the relevant training programme. Dates and placements will be confirmed upon acceptance of an offer and subject to benchmarking outcomes.

• Interviews: November–January 2027 (via MS Teams)
• Initial Offers: Tuesday 19 January 2027
• Hold Deadline: Tuesday 26 January 2027

View the national specialty training recruitment timetable here:

National Recruitment Timelines (https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/overview-of-specialty-training/recruitment-timelines)

ACF Application Limit: Applicants may submit up to three ACF applications per national recruitment round. This applies across all regions, specialties, universities and grades.

Level of training: Applicants should be at an appropriate level of training to be able to progress into the ACF at the advertised starting grade. It is not possible for individuals to repeat a year of training in order to take up an ACF post.

Posts available: There is one job, regardless of the number of specialties listed, unless stated otherwise. You cannot apply to multiple specialties within the same vacancy.

Benchmarking: It is the applicants responsibility to ensure they have submitted a clinical application for the particular specialty in order to benchmark if required. If a benchmarking application is not submitted, if required, we are unable to proceed with your application. See applicant guide for more information.

Shortlisting: All applicants must score at least 2 points (per assessor) in both the ‘Academic Experience’ and ‘Academic Potential’ questions.

To be eligible under the disability confidence scheme, candidates are also required to achieve a total score of at least 11 points (or 39%) to be invited to interview. Please visit NIHR website for full details.

Certificate of Readiness to Enter Specialty Training (CREST – if applicable): For ACF posts the CREST form submitted with your ACF application will also be used for any Round 1 specialty training applications in the same recruitment year. Applicants required to submit a CREST must do so at the time of application. Failure to upload this will result in your application being rejected. Please refer to national guidance on the Medical Training Recruitment website (https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/foundation-competencies/certificate-of-readiness).

We strongly advise you to review the ‘Files’ and ‘Hyperlinks’ tab on this vacancy where you will find essential information regarding the post and your eligibility.

ACF South West Applicant Guide (https://southwest.pgmdeducation.nhs.uk/recruitment/academic-clinical-fellowships-in-the-south-west/2027-nihr-acf-south-west-applicant-guide/)

Academic and Clinical Person Specifications (https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/person-specifications)

Job Descriptions– Please visit the ‘Files’ tab.

Supporting Documents– Please visit the ‘Hyperlinks’ tab.

NHSE School Website and University Clinical Academic Training Website – Please visit the ‘Hyperlinks’ tab.

For queries not addressed in the advert or supporting documents, please contact:

• Recruitment inbox: England.acfrecruitment.sw@nhs.net
• Candidate Hotline: 01454 252610

• Candidates are strongly advised to review the person specification for their chosen specialty to ensure all required eligibility documentation is submitted accurately and within the specified timeframe
• Thoroughly review the files and links tabs for further information.
• Save and re-open your application before submitting to check for errors.
• Submit at least 30 minutes before the deadline to avoid technical issues. Late submissions will not be accepted.
• Incomplete applications at the time of advert closure cannot be retrieved or submitted.

The vacancies are correct at point of advertisement but may be subject to change. Any alterations to the vacancies published will be notified to candidates that register an interest by starting an application via Oriel.